


Seed of a Free World

by Squiddicus



Category: Suikoden I, Suikoden Series (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Non-Graphic Violence, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:41:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27767674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squiddicus/pseuds/Squiddicus
Summary: Please tell me... is fate changeable? What if Odessa survives the attack on the Liberation Army hideout at Lenankamp? How does she rebuild after yet another raid by the Empire? And at what price would her victory be bought?
Relationships: Flik/Odessa Silverberg
Kudos: 2





	1. On that Moonlit Night

A cool breeze swept through the basin on Mt. Tigerwolf, reaching the village of Sarady. The crisp air crept around the shabby, hewn-stone houses, rustling the patches of brush that found a way to survive in the rocky ground. The small village was no stranger to travellers moving between the Scarlet Moon Empire and the Jowstone City-States, but a group of five was unusual.

One among them, a young woman, was still awake at a late hour, waiting in the light of the full moon. She stood by the waist-high fence bordering the inn's patio, resting her right arm on it. A simple brass circlet glimmered with a stray moonbeam and reined in her mildly unkempt copper hair. Her long hair reached her waist with sidelocks framing her bright blue eyes. She wore a blue turtle-necked tunic and nearly-white tights in need of a wash before long.

As the breeze caught her in its grip, she pulled her cape tightly around herself, wishing too late for another layer of clothes. Despite the cold, she started to wish that Flik came along with them, but somebody had to watch the hideout at Lenankamp. Sanchez was not a fighter and Humphrey was never too skilled with a rune.

Light footsteps pulled her from her thoughts just before the door to her left opened. She half-turned, and one of the new faces she had seen greeted her. A young man- younger than herself- stepped outside. He had dark brown, shimmering eyes and black, messy hair held in place by a vibrant green bandanna. It was dark, but his red vest and yellow pants stood out. "Tir, can't you sleep?" she greeted him.

Tir shook his head. "Not tonight," he said.

"Me neither." She turned to face him. "But the night breeze makes me feel better. Can I tell you something?"

"What is it?"

"Kessler of Mt. Tigerwolf, Flik, Humphrey, Sanchez," she paused, "they all expect so much of me." She tightened her gloved hand into a fist, making the leather creak. "But sometimes, I feel like running away. I'm not sure I'm worthy of their hopes," she confessed, maintaining eye contact. "But what do you plan to do? Will you return to the Empire?"

"I don't know, Odessa," Tir said, looking east through the mountain towards his home- what was once his home- in Gregminster, the capital of the Empire.

"You know what's right and what's wrong, Tir," Odessa said to the back of his head, "But since your father's a Great General, maybe you can at least live a peaceful life. But whatever happens, you can't turn away from what you see and what you feel." Tir leans forward onto the fence and braces his gloved hands against it, letting his head roll down, staring at his feet.

Perhaps if she pried elsewhere, Tir could come to a decision. "Not unlike me, I suppose." Tir kept looking down, Odessa turned her back to the wall. If he isn't going to look at her, she'll look outward. "My father, Leon Silverberg, also fought for the Emperor in the War of Succession," she paused, giving Tir a chance to recognize the name; if he did, he said nothing. "I, like you, was brought up in the aristocracy, pretending to be blind to the injustices and discontents that permeate the Empire." She turned her head back towards Tir; she had to at least talk at him. "But one day, I realized that I'm not just Silverberg's daughter, but an independent woman named Odessa. I hope that you will someday be called Tir McDohl, rather than 'Teo's Son.'"

Tir finally lifted his head towards her, "but Gremio doesn't even call me by name."

"He respects you a great deal, Tir."

"He respects my father, Odessa. He's only taken care of me because I -am- 'Teo's Son.'"

"That's not true!" Odessa said, louder than she had intended. "If Gremio only respected General McDohl, he would not have followed you here. Cleo, too," she continued as Tir looked away. She pauses for a moment. "They aren't putting themselves in danger because of orders. They want to protect you because you have something within yourself that makes them want to."

"...Because they want to..." Tir muttered. "Can I... tell you something, too?"

Odessa's eyes widened briefly. Does he have something weighing on him, too? "It's only fair."

Tir took a breath or two to ready himself. "Viktor brought us to you because he recognized me, I'm sure of that. 'This here is the son of General Teo McDohl,' I believe he said when he introduced us," Tir began before turning his head to look outward, still looking away from Odessa. "Two days ago, my father and I were granted an audience with the Emperor; I was formally inducted into the Imperial Guard afterwards. 'Like father, like son,' His Highness said," he smiled like it was a fond memory. "Our entourage was five men strong. You've already met me, Gremio, and Cleo. There were two others: Pahn," Odessa noticed Tir move his left hand over his right, "and Ted..." Tir shook his head again.

"We were given the task of delivering the astrological conclusions written by a seer- Leknaat, I believe her name was- to the Empire." Leknaat? Odessa heard the name before, but she couldn't match the name to a face. "As soon as we got back, we were then charged with bringing the 'tax thieves' of Mt. Seifu to justice, supervised by Kanaan, some Imperial officer. You remember that story, right?"

"Yes, of course."

"There was something we left out, though. On our way through the caves, we fought a Queen Ant."

Odessa brought her hands to her face. A Queen Ant!? It wasn't unheard of for one of them to take up residence in the mountains bordering the Empire, but for one to be so close to the capital? "Oh my God! How did you survive the encounter?"

"Ted used some magic and... it was gone," Tir said, finally looking Odessa in the eye again. "When we returned to Gregminster, Kanaan requested Ted to follow him to the palace. It was well after supper when we saw Ted again. He was lying in the entryway of my home, covered in his own blood," Tir continued, his voice starting to shake.

"Was he attacked by thieves?"

"It was magic. We brought him inside, and when Ted came around, he told us what happened. It sounds silly, but the court magician- Windy- found him after searching for three-hundred years."

"Three-hundred years!?" Odessa repeated in disbelief. That's not possible. Unless...

"Ted knew that he was found. And he showed me this," Tir took off his right glove. On the back of his hand was a bronze symbol that resembled a cloaked figure brandishing a scythe. "He called it 'Soul Eater.' I didn't believe it at first, but it's one of the True Runes." He put the glove back on, hiding the rune again. "And then the Imperial Guard forced their way inside. Pahn, our own friend, informed the Guard of where Ted was." Tir tore his gze from her eyes, back to Gregminster. "And then we hid at the inn, and Viktor got us out of the city on the condition he introduced us to you."

Odessa lowered her arms. "To think... your own friend would..." Odessa could only empathize. How horrible that would be- betrayed by your own friend. Another breeze swept across the basin, catching Odessa's cape.

"But it's strange, " Odessa spoke to Tir again. He reluctantly looked back at her, if it wasn't for the moonlight, she wouldn't have noticed that his eyes looked misty. "I feel compassion when I'm with you. Perhaps Viktor brought you to us because he felt that compassion as well. There are many of us in the Liberation Army. Humphrey, Sanchez, Mose," she paused at the name on her lips, "...Flik. But nobody has eyes like yours." She's sure of how Tir will answer, but she has to be sure. "Tir, if I should ever-"

The brush rustled. When Odessa looked in the direction of the sound, she saw something, a person, perhaps, standing some yards away: a figure dressed head to toe in black. At least, that's what she hoped she was seeing. It approached with practiced grace, making not one more sound. "Who is it?" she asked, trying to mask her fear.

"My name is Kage," the figure spoke. The only feature Odessa could make out was its- this person's- dark gray eyes. The rest of the face was covered by some dark-colored garment, she couldn't tell with the moon to his back. "I have been sent by Sir Mose of the Secret Factory."

Odessa sighed in relief. This was the messenger they were waiting for, but she remembered the incident on Mt. Tigerwolf. "How is Mose? I received a letter from him mentioning that a pigeon of his was sick. I find it hard to imagine Mose taking care of a sick pigeon."

"Very strange, lady. Sir Mose does not keep any pigeons." He dodged the simple trap, but it did its job.

"I'm sorry, I was just testing you."

"I never betray a contract."

All was well; she reached behind her for a bundle of scrolls loosely tied together.

"This is a blueprint for the Fire Spear. Please deliver this," she holds them out towards Kage. "The future of the Liberation Movement depends on it."

Kage firmly took the scrolls from her. "Understood. I will go now." Kage gave a shallow bow before returning to the shadows, disappearing as quietly as he arrived.

Odessa sighed and stepped back into the wall of the inn, almost losing the strength in her legs. It's out of her hands now. She looks towards Tir, "It's getting late, we'd better rest." He stepped back as she reached for the door knob and returned to their room. Tir was only a few steps behind her.

* * *

Odessa wasn't the first one awake in the morning. But she wasn't the last this time, she thought. Tir still looked asleep, anyway. "Good morning, Odessa." A man's voice greeted her after she woke. Her other two companions were also awake. Near the door to the patio was Cleo. She had already donned her armor: a plate chest piece with shoulder and shin guards; all worn over her mud-brown tunic and pants.

Standing more directly in front of Odessa was Gremio, who was without a doubt the oldest among them. His long blond hair was tied back in a ponytail over his green cape, and his traveler's clothes were a darker shade of blue than Odessa's. Gremio would easily blend into a crowd if it wasn't for the crossed scars on his left cheek. And last, Viktor was leaning against the door frame to the common room, his head nearly grazing the ceiling.

"Good morning, Viktor. And good morning, Cleo, Gremio. Our business here is finished."

Viktor crossed his arms over his light leather armor, brown eyes meeting Odessa's through his black bangs. "What do you mean? The job's done?"

"Yes, Tir and I finished our business last night."

Cleo raised a hand to her chin, her gray eyes looking to the floor. "Come to think of it, Young Master's bed was empty in the middle of the night."

Odessa cursed her failure of tact. But Cleo wasn't who she was worried about. Gremio stared at Odessa, mouth agape, eyes wide. "Y-y-young Master!" Gremio called out to his charge. "What were you up to?" It was at that moment Odessa noticed that Tir was awake.

"Good morning, everyone." Tir said, looking half-asleep. The blond-haired man was dumbstruck at his question being brushed off so trivially. He tried to repeat himself, but each syllable was caught in his throat.

"Let's get going, Tir. Everyone's waiting for us." Odessa said before heading out to the common area.

"Y-y-young M-master!" Gremio repeated.

"Let's go, Gremio," Cleo's voice came from behind. Perhaps it was a good thing Flik was left in Lenankamp after all.

* * *

The group finished their preparations for the return trip and began to follow the trail they took across Mt. Tigerwolf and back to Lenankamp. They took the usual formation with Cleo and Gremio in the front, Viktor in the rear, and Odessa and Tir in the middle. Odessa thought it was her imagination at first, but Gremio was indeed scratching at his scar during the hike.

* * *

**Author's Commentary:** Welcome to my first fanfiction outing, fittingly, it's for one of the first games I've ever played, Suikoden. Now, I know I didn't get to what the description promised, but I thought it would be better to try to get into Odessa's head first. And a bit of practicing before the real deal, too.

My intention with this fic is to try to stick with the canon as presented in, and only in, the English version of Suikoden. Don't worry, I'll fix the typos :P

And this is also my second attempt at uploading. Dang formatting X_X


	2. A Ripple in Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With their mission at Sarady concluded, Odessa and her entourage return to Lenankamp to deliver the news. However, a trap was laid for them by the Empire in their absence.

It was a long trek back to Lenankamp, but the greater part of it was down hill, something that Odessa was thankful for once the stone walls of the town came into view. Viktor grinned as he played with a crystal in his hand. "I wonder what this is. You guys think it might be a wind crystal?"

"I would hope not," Gremio started, "you're terrifying enough with that sword alone."

"And, magical talent or not, you having a rune is a scary thought." Cleo added. "What do you think, Young Master?"

"I think the type of rune is more important than talent..." Tir replied before looking at Gremio, "or competence."

"Young Master, what are you implying?"

"I think there's a reason Lady Leknaat gave Cleo her crystal instead of you."

Odessa just listened to their conversation. More magic would be an asset, but Odessa would gladly take a water crystal over anything else, given the choice. She reached back into her quiver and found quite a few arrows were missing. Probably half remained.

"Do you see something, Odessa?" Viktor asked.

"Oh, no. I was just feeling how many arrows I have left. I should buy some more after we report back."

"Good idea, I think my sword can use some sharpening while we're at it." Viktor said.

Cleo looked back at them, "You should use something with a shorter blade, you'd save some money on maintenance."

"Or aiming for the soft part of a giant snail." Gremio muttered.

"Hey, I heard that! And you know that rabbit threw that axe where I was going to be!"

"Easy there, Viktor." Tir said.

Odessa sighed. If these three joined the Liberation Army, they'd at least make better company than Sanchez and Humphrey. Especially Humphrey.

The brick and plaster buildings of Lenankamp sat upon smooth, tiered-stone block foundations. The town had expanded outside of its walls, thanks to its sole position as the Imperial Guard's supplier of arms. The Keyaki Inn was a straight shot down the main street. Despite being the largest inn open in the town, its roof fails to clear the shortest wall around Lenankamp. As there wasn't much travel through Kwaba recently, most of the patrons were merchants staying the night on their way to or from Gregminster.

Even with the reduced bookings, neighbors and passersby would smell a roasting bird or fresh bread from outside. The group opened the door to the inn, tables empty, as expected- and the innkeeper lying on the floor in front of the counter! Odessa pushed ahead of Gremio, who cried out in surprise, before kneeling by the innkeeper. "What happened? Are you all right?" Was this a fight that got out of hand? A robbery? She noticed the blood pooling beneath him.

The innkeeper looked at her. "The Imperials... they suddenly..." his breathing was shallow. "I'm sorry... Lady Odessa."

"My god!" Why now? Of all times? Odessa ran towards the back room. If the Imperials attacked, everyone needs help now... if she wasn't too late.

"Hey, Odessa!" Viktor called after her, but she didn't stop. She threw the door open and pushed the large clock to the side, revealing the secret stairs to the hideout. She nearly flew down the stairs into the sewer and continued on the walkway past the storeroom. She looked over to her right to see a soldier overlooking some papers in the makeshift command room. She crashed into something solid. That something wrapped itself around Odessa, restraining her. She looked at what grabbed her: another soldier!

"Hey, they were right," the soldier called to his partner, "Another rat or two came right back to their hole." Odessa tried to raise her left hand to use her magic, but the soldier forced her hands to her side.

"Put him in the back with the other one," the other soldier said, not even looking up from the papers. Odessa was pulled deeper into the hideout, trying to pull away or at least free her arm. Where is Flik? Where is Sanchez? Humphrey? The soldier threw Odessa to the floor once they reached the back room. She landed on her right shin first before the rest of her crashed in turn. She groaned before propping herself up on her left elbow to look around. The only ones in the room were herself, two other soldiers, and a young boy who was silently shaking.

"Oh, god..." were they already executed? Maybe not Flik, but Humphrey would have a price on his head for sure. Odessa started to lift herself off the floor when one of the soldiers pulls her up by her right arm.

"We have information that other rebels are going to return to this hideout. How many others are coming?"

Odessa looked over at the boy. "Why are you detaining that child?" The soldier answered with a backhanded strike and her head whipped to her right side! Almost immediately, she felt her cheek throb and sting. She couldn't breathe through her nose and could taste blood. Before she realized what just happened, the soldier pushed her toward the wall, pinning her against it with his free arm over her collarbone

"How many?" The soldier spoke slowly. Odessa couldn't answer. The pressure below her neck made it harder to breathe. She looked him in the eye before noticing her vision began to blur and darken on the left. After a moment, the soldier let go of her arm and punched her in the stomach. What air she could breathe was forced out of her lungs.

The soldier backed away and withdrew his arm; Odessa slid down along the wall, gasping for air. This was her chance to use her rune and escape, but Odessa looked at the other guard again and saw a bowgun hanging from his side. There was no safe move she could make.

"I got an idea." The other soldier spoke up. Odessa heard the sound of a sword leaving its sheath. "Maybe they're related." She turned her head in his direction and saw the other soldier waving his sword in the boy's direction.

She shook her head frantically, barely able to squeak out "no."

"Hmm... Either they're not related, or she wants us to spare the brat. What do you think?"

The first soldier grabbed Odessa under her arm and yanked her to her feet again. "Sorry, I lost my temper there," the soldier claimed. "I'll give you one more chance. Answer me, or I can't guarantee that kid's safety."

"Let-" Odessa wheezed, "let him go... and I'll tell you... all you want to know."

The soldier clicked his tongue. "Can't trust a rebel's word. You answer us, and then we let the brat go. Now, how many others-"

"You rebel- AUGH!" A scream stopped the interrogation.

"What the-" Another started. They both came from the command room. Was that Viktor's doing?

"HOW MANY!?" Odessa saw the soldier's eyes through his visor, and they were clearly wide with fear.

"Four." It didn't matter if she answered them at this point, but for her own sake, she complied.

"Dammit, we're outnumbered!"

"Calm down, we have hostages," the other soldier said as he grabbed the boy by the shoulder.

The soldier in front of Odessa looked towards his partner before a loud crash rang in front of Odessa. The soldier released her and collapsed, revealing a green bandanna behind him as he fell.

"Tir!" He was standing just behind the soldier, both arms holding his staff aloft.

"Tir? Tir McDohl!?" The soldier uttered. "Don't move, or this kid dies!" The boy tried to squirm, but he stopped as the blade came within an inch of his neck.

Someone skidded to a stop and something flew across the room, sticking into the soldier's sword hand. He released the sword and it clattered to the ground. The boy started to cry as he ran towards Odessa, who knelt down and caught the boy in a tight hug. Tir rushed forward and swung his staff across the soldier's face, throwing his body, and a couple of teeth, to the ground.

"Shh, it's okay. The bad Imperials won't hurt you anymore," Odessa's voice shook as she whispered into the boy's ear, telling herself that as much as him. she looked over to see Cleo panting, her right hand cautiously raised.

"Are you all right, Odessa?" Cleo asked.

"I- I don't think anything's broken. It'll heal. Thank you, Cleo, Tir." Before she could continue, Gremio caught up with them.

"Young Master, please don't do anything so reckless again!" he said before looking at the two soldiers on the ground. "There's no chance of returning to the Empire, is there, Cleo?"

Cleo started to relax her stance. "I wouldn't take it if there was one. I've just about had it with the corrupt Empire." She relaxed her arms before looking towards Tir, who had started to walk over to Odessa. "What do you think, Young Master?"

"No more..." Tir said solemnly. "Odessa, I have decided to join the Liberation Army."

Gremio gasped. "Y-young Master!"

"He's made his choice, Gremio. Make yours." Cleo shot back.

"I-" Gremio looked like one leg was kicked out from under him.

Odessa smiled at Tir despite the pain in her cheek. "Thank you, Tir." She looked back at the boy who had calmed down a little. "Stay here for a minute. We'll tell you when it's safe to come out, okay?"

"O-okay," the boy sniffled.

"Good boy," she said as she stood and let him go. "Where's Viktor?"

"He was in the command room, last I saw him," Gremio said.

Odessa moved out to the walkway with Tir following closely. "I'll go tell him to keep an eye on the entrance for a while." As they walked along the canal, Odessa noticed the bodies strewn about on the floor, both Imperial and rebel troops. There were probably about seventeen in total between both sides. Looking slightly to her right, she saw three more of her men floating in the water.

"How awful. To think, had we not stopped at Kessler's inn, we might have been captured." But with how badly the innkeeper bled, how long ago was the raid? What if there were more coming? "Everyone, we need to leave, quickly!" Odessa called back to Cleo and Gremio. She didn't notice the clanking of armor coming from the stairs until she looked ahead. She chose the worst moment to take her eyes off the stairs.

Two more soldiers were standing just at the bottom of the stairs, aiming their bowguns. Before she could react, Tir thrust himself between Odessa and the soldiers, who fired at that moment. The bolts whistled towards them before striking Tir in the chest. He dropped his staff and fell prone.

Before they could reload, Odessa shot her left palm out towards the soldiers. Her cape billowed around and in front of her as pink mist began to form and swirl around the soldiers. One continued to reload his bowgun at a sluggish pace while the other dropped his in favor of his sword. Eventually, the fatigue overtook them both as they passed out.

Viktor popped out of the command room, sword drawn. "Odessa? What's going on?" He looked from the stairs to Odessa, then to Tir. "Tir?" He dropped his sword and ran over to the pair, more footsteps came from the left.

"Young Master!?" Gremio ran to Tir's side. Odessa stepped around to Tir's right, and saw the two bolts in Tir's torso, one of them certainly hit his lung. Tir coughed as he struggled to breathe, Odessa could see his blood mixed with spittle. "My god! Young Master!"

"Tir!" Odessa brought her hands to her mouth. "We need to help him!"

"Young Master, what have you done?" Gremio knelt in front of Tir. Tir was shaking, his breath was raspy and shallow.

"Forgive me... Gremio," Tir said. "I... I didn't think... My first thought-"

"Don't talk, Tir," Cleo said calmly, "we'll get you some help." She ran past them to the storeroom. Odessa doubted that Cleo would find anything.

Gremio and Viktor helped Tir to his feet and guided him to the wall on his left and rested him against it. Tir looked at Odessa. "Odessa... I have two... requests." Tir coughed up more blood. "First... remember what... I said at Sarady?"

"I do." Odessa knelt beside Tir.

"Take off... my right glove."

"Stop it, Young Master!" Gremio yelled. "I don't want to hear last requests!"

"Gremio, let him speak." Viktor said.

"Gremio... I'm not... leaving this place." Tir replied. Odessa hesitated before taking off Tir's glove, the True Rune on his hand greeted her with a dull shine. "This is... Soul Eater... a cursed rune. My best friend... Ted passed it to me..."

"Y-young Master!?" Gremio said.

"He kept it safe... for 300 years... I took it... to keep it from Windy."

"Windy? The court magician?" Odessa asked.

"I took the rune... and ran. But I guess I... I couldn't go too far." Tir didn't answer the question, perhaps to save his breath.

"Young Master? You- you're not..." Gremio said.

"Yes, I am... Odessa, will you... take this rune? Take it... away from here?"

"I-" Odessa started.

"Please, Odessa... Windy must not... get this rune. No matter what... I can't let Ted... he bought us time-"

"I will, Tir." What choice did she really have?

"Odessa!?"

"Young Master!"

"Take my hand... Odessa"

As she gently held Tir's hand, Soul Eater began to emit an ethereal glow. The light grew more intense until Odessa was forced to look away and shut her eyes. She tightened her grip as she felt her right hand began to burn. It was a lot like a runemaster affixing a rune, but it was far more intense. The light dimmed and the burning faded. Odessa opened her eyes and looked back to Tir's now-bare hand. She let go to take off her own glove. The grim figure looked back at her.

Thank you, Odessa."

Footsteps echoed from her right. Cleo was running her hand through her hair. "I-I'm so sorry, Young Master... the Imperials took everything." Her voice was strained, like she was trying to stay calm. "Is there- is there something we can do, Odessa?" Odessa couldn't look Cleo in the eye and stayed silent.

Tir looked at Cleo. "It's not... your fault, Cleo. But my... second request is for... you and- and Gremio."

"Wh-what is it, Young Master?" Gremio asked.

"Please... protect Odessa... protect the life I gave her."

"Young Master-" that was all Gremio could choke out.

"Yes, I will," Cleo said, her voice cracking, "you have my word."

"Cleo?" Gremio called out. Cleo said nothing more.

"Gremio... please..." Tir begged, "for Ted."

"I..." Gremio sighed. "As you wish, Young Master. For you, and for Ted."

"Thank you... both of you." Tir bowed his head. "Thank you." His voice began to grow weak. "Forgive me, Ted." Those were Tir's last words before his eyes closed.

"Young Master? Young Master!?" Gremio called out, but to no response. Gremio's shoulders started to tremble, his arms went limp. "Not like this," he began to sob. "Not like this!" Gremio's cries echoed through the sewer to an audience of dead men.

* * *

**Author's Commentary:** Well, this one was a bit tougher to write, I wonder why. This is the point where I decided to break from canon officially and kill off Tir in Odessa's place. Why? Because both Tir and Odessa surviving the raid would not really make for an interesting story, if you ask me. Or at least I doubt my ability to make it interesting.

Also worth noting that the one real exception to holding to Suikoden 1's canon is that Odessa has two runes, like in subsequent games. I can justify this by pointing out Crowley's war battle quote, since he explicitly mentions 99 runes, so why can't Odessa, or anyone else, for that matter, have more than one rune?

I'm looking forward to the next couple of chapters, I won't lie.

  
  



	3. Scattered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hideout was compromised with no backup plan. Odessa chooses a risky course of action to ensure everyone's safety.

**Chapter 3 – Scattered**

* * *

Odessa looked over the table in the command room. All their maps, plans, and letters have been confiscated. She rustled through any papers she could find, looking for anything important that remained. The only thing that mattered was the blueprints for the Fire Spear; even if the blueprints weren't already delivered to the Secret Factory, the fact that the Imperials didn't seize them is a huge relief.

"Hey, Odessa? Found anything?" Viktor asked from outside the room.

"All our plans and maps... The only thing the Imperials left for us are the receipts." Odessa sighed. "Let's head upstairs. We're wasting time we don't have."

Their options were limited, and few of them were good ones. She considered each one as she returned upstairs to the front of the inn where the innkeeper's body laid.

"Did you find anything, Lady Odessa?" Cleo asked.

"Nothing of use, I'm afraid."

"What do we do now?" Viktor stepped out from the back room. "Do we have a backup HQ planned?"

"Unfortunately, this was our backup after the last one was discovered. We never agreed on where to rendezvous in this event." Odessa looked towards her feet. "But we do have some options. First, we flee towards the Secret Factory."

Gremio looked out a window, "Wouldn't that mean going over Mt. Tigerwolf again? It's already getting late."

"That's not all," Odessa answered, "we would have to cross far more than Mt. Tigerwolf. The Secret Factory is nearly on the border of Jowstone city-states."

"Even if we fled that way, wouldn't the Empire already be sending soldiers along a likely route of escape?" Cleo asked.

"Or worse," Gremio added, "we might run into Master Teo's troops."

"The soldiers mentioned something about having information about our arrival. Even if the Empire doesn't expect us to head back in that direction, not knowing exactly where General McDohl's troops are would make it such a risky move." Odessa said.

"What about Mt. Seifu?" Gremio asked.

Odessa shook her head. "Tir- he told me before that there was a Queen Ant there."

"When did Young Master tell you?" Cleo was surprised.

"Even if we assume there was only that single Queen Ant, the bandits there were already attacked, just like we were. I doubt there would be anyone there, since Varkas and Sydonia are probably hiding themselves."

"Shouldn't we try to get out of the area?" Viktor interjected. "If there's nowhere safe here, then we should go down the river to Lake Toran."

"But go where?" Gremio looked back towards Viktor. "The lake is in the heart of the Empire."

"Even if we found a boat tonight, we would never get past Schasarazade." Odessa explained. "Any supplies we could pass off as trade goods have already been seized. And we have no papers for passage. But there is one other option."

Cleo looked out another window towards the south. "You can't mean Kwaba."

"Hey! Odessa, If we can't get through Shasarazade, how do we pass through Kwaba?" Viktor yelled.

Odessa touched her left cheek and winced. "The Empire is likely unaware that their raid was only a partial success. By the time word went up the chain of command, anyone sneaking through Kwaba would already be gone." Odessa looked to the dead innkeeper. "If Edward was alive when we arrived, given the severity of his wound, the Imperials were here, at most, half an hour before we were. If we were to sneak through Kwaba, now's the time."

"But your face is well-known. How do you expect us to not get caught going through?"

Odessa turned to Viktor, a devilish smirk creasing her face. "My captor was careless," she pointed towards her bruised face. "Nobody would suspect a battered wife."

"Sounds like a plan to me. But how do we hide your good side?"

"Just keep directly to my right, Viktor. What do you think, Cleo?"

"I suppose it's the best chance we have. But once we're through, where do we go?"

"We'll lay low in Seika until tomorrow."

"'Tomorrow?' You mean we leave now?" Gremio questioned.

"Time is of the essence, we must not waste this chance, Gremio. I will prepare a disguise. In ten minutes, Cleo and I will meet Gremio and Viktor at the front gate. Cleo, you stay here and keep watch."

"Okay, follow me, Gremio." Viktor wasted no time in his exit, Gremio trailed a distance behind him. Odessa returned to the storeroom in the sewers and began to rummage through the spare clothes strewn about along the shelves and the floor. There weren't too many women in the Liberation Army, and men's clothes were not suitable for the disguise she had in mind.

Before long, she was able to put together some sort of plausible outfit. It was a fairly plain hempen tunic and a long skirt. She also found an extra set of tights and a blouse. She opted to keep her gloves and shoes since they were still in good shape, but the circlet would have to go. Odessa raised her left hand and a yellow cape began to rise in an updraft. A blade of air cut across the cape and a neat ribbon blew upwards. Odessa returned her hand to her side and caught the ribbon as it fell. It wasn't a color she fancied, but something had to keep her hair out of her eyes.

She eventually found a spare pack underneath a red cowl and set her tunic, cape, and old tights inside. Of course! A hood would go a long way to hide her face. She pulled the cape out of the pack and wore it with the cowl. To complete her disguise, she pulled her sidelocks back behind her ears and tied a pretty knot with the ribbon, holding the hair into a single tail. Odessa noticed the ribbon cascaded down her back, about a foot too long on each end.

After she finished changing, she brought the pack with her up the stairs, carrying her quiver and bow in the same hand.. "Cleo, may I borrow a knife?" Cleo silently handed one over. Odessa set her things down as she grabbed the knife. She pulled one end of the ribbon until it was taut and cut through it with surprising ease and did the same on the other end. She ran her thumb and index fingers over each cut before returning the knife. "There is another favor I'll ask of you, Cleo."

"Yes?"

Odessa held out her bow and half-empty quiver towards Cleo. "If they see my weapon, they will see through my disguise. You look the most likely of the rest of us to use one."

"I understand." Cleo takes the bow and quiver, fastening them to her back.

"Thank you. Now, let's not keep the men waiting. Let's go." Odessa led the way outside the inn.

The townsfolk seemed unaware of the slaughter that occurred so close to them. Did the soldiers just trickle in a few at a time, or did nobody care? "Gremio, Viktor, we're ready," Cleo said.

"Viktor, would you carry this?" Odessa thrust the pack into Viktor's chest.

"Uh, sure. What's in it?" Viktor took hold of the pack.

"My things." Odessa let go and started to walk through and past the gate. Cleo and Gremio hurried and took their place in the front while Viktor tailed them.

* * *

The whitewashed walls of Kwaba towered 15 feet into the air, the imposing turrets adjoining the gatehouse were another 10 feet higher. To the citizens of the Empire, it was a symbol of their strength and unity after the War of Succession. To the enemies of the Empire, it was the impenetrable wall that separates would-be invaders from ultimate victory. To Odessa, it was nature encroaching on a small garden. They were closing in on the gates as the clouds were beginning to take on a pink hue.

"The fortress of Kwaba..." Cleo muttered, "I heard Lord Ain Gide is its commander."

"Can we get away with this, Ms. Odessa?" Gremio wondered aloud.

"No problem, Odessa's got it figured out." Viktor answered. "Let's decide on some fake names. We'll be in trouble if they ask us who we are."

"I'll be Roi," Gremio said.

"I'll be Maria," Cleo said.

"You don't look like a Maria," Viktor laughed.

"Excuse me?"

"Hmm, I guess I'll be..." Viktor dragged out his words, "Schtoltenheim Reinbach III. How's that sound?"

Gremio and Cleo were speechless. "You don't look like a Schtoltenheim Reinbach." Odessa quipped.

"What!? I take after my mother!"

Odessa chuckled, though her cheek hurt as she smiled.

"Lady Odessa, how about you?" Cleo asked.

"Annette." Odessa said after a moment's thought while pulling her hood up.

"Hmm, sounds a little familiar," Gremio said.

"I wonder from where," Cleo said with a teasing hint in her voice.

"Okay, let's go Roi, Maria, and Annette." Viktor affirmed before Gremio could pry into Cleo's comment. Viktor moved to block direct sight to Odessa's right side as she untied the ribbon and pulled at her cowl to let it fall out of sight. Her copper sidetails inched forward with each step.

The gate itself was nearly 10 feet wide and 15 feet high, with strong, iron-reinforced wooden doors. It was the main route through which Gregminster acquired its goods, and its last line of defense from invaders. There were only two guards posted inside the gatehouse, at least at first glance.

After passing between the doors, the guard to Odessa's left called out "hey you! You there!" The group ground to a halt. Odessa shivered. Had she been spotted already?

"Me, Sir?" Viktor asked, "I'm just a poor jujube vendor with hungry kids waiting at home."

"Not you! Her," he pointed at Odessa. "Remove your hood," he commanded. Odessa's breath caught in her throat as she hesitated to obey. She pulled her hood down, and saw the guard's eyes widen briefly before he turned back to Viktor. "You said 'jujube vendor?"

"Yes, it's late, and I thought I'd save some money if I continued onward past Lenankamp."

"What about you?" He looked at Odessa.

"I-" Odessa tried to think of something to tell the guard, but nothing came to mind.

"Please leave her be, sir," Cleo said. "Her brother is sick and we heard that there's a doctor in Teien who can help him. We left from Rockland right away, against her fiance's wishes."

The guard narrowed his eyes, "I... see. Sorry to stop you." The guard stepped back.

"Hey, wait! Rosh!" The other guard protested, but stepped back as well.

"Thank you," Odessa said before she set the pace for the rest of them to follow.

"That was a close one," Gremio said once they were out of earshot.

"Nice thinking, Cleo." Viktor said.

"If he had asked for the doctor's name, we would've been in trouble."

"I'm sorry, everyone. I should've thought of a story beforehand. I hadn't expected to be stopped like that." Odessa said.

"We made it through safely, that's all that matters." Viktor said.

"How far is Seika from here?" Gremio asked.

"Seika's right there." Odessa answered, pointing nearly straight ahead. It was difficult to spot at first, but by a creek was a village that appeared to have wooden houses. "We'll stay the night and plan our next move from there." She tried to hide her apprehension. She would rather stay somewhere- anywhere- else than Seika. The memories of her last visit were still raw.

* * *

 **Author's Commentary** **:** Well, this chapter ended up being longer than I expected, I was planning on writing the visit to Seika, but I noticed I already hit 1.7k words on the first draft and thought this was a good enough place to stop. Anywho, I had several ideas on how they got through, since Ain Gide would NOT have let Odessa through, since he clearly knew who Tir was in the game. The initial idea was that they applied mud and cosmetics to look like they (or at least Odessa) had the plague, but I also thought about the black eye. Why didn't they try to vault or climb over the wall? That would defeat the purpose of sneaking through, there was no way to hide the evidence.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Odessa and her entourage reach Seika after slipping through Kwaba, but they have only a moment to rest before setting the next phase of Odessa's plan into action.

** Chapter 4 – Eternal Flow **

* * *

The clouds were beginning to burn orange as the sun sank towards the horizon, stretching the shadows of the short plaster houses of Seika. A few scattered houses stood between the creek and a hill, and on the hilltop was a single, larger house which stood out above the surroundings. Odessa tried to keep that terrace out of her line of sight as she and Viktor searched for an inn to spend the night, although it wasn't that long of a search.

"Remember, Mr. Reinbach," Odessa whispered, "we're still using our aliases, okay?"

"Got it, Annette."

Odessa waved to her left, beckoning Gremio and Cleo.

"This is the inn?" Gremio asked.

"We'll be staying in two rooms if we can, Roi," Odessa said.

"Should we keep watch, Lady Annette?" Cleo asked.

"Once we retire for the evening, yes. I don't expect the Imperials to search this area until tomorrow," Odessa said as she turned to open the inn's door. As she crossed the threshold, she caught the smell of cooked fish and herbs in the air. The interior smelled better than it looked: the plaster walls were unpainted, sheet-stone tiles with no patterns or designs, and cheap wooden tables and chairs in the dining area to the left. At this time of day, there was no sunlight, the tables and the front counter were lit by a few candles.

Odessa approached the innkeeper at the counter. "Excuse me, sir. A room, please."

"Ah, yes, jus-" He stopped as soon as he met Odessa's eyes and looked away towards a book. "Please sign the guestbook right there; 30 bits a person, meals included."

"Thank you. How generous, sir." Odessa said as she dipped the reed pen in the inkwell and signed the book before waving Cleo over. "Have we missed dinner?"

"It'll be a little cold, ma'am, but I can bring something out for you two."

"Thank you. Maria, would you please pay our fees? I seem to have misplaced my coin purse."

Cleo nodded before reaching for a pocket.

"A room, please." Viktor started before Odessa tuned him out. Cleo sat down opposite of Odessa.

"'Misplaced,' Lady Annette?"

"I... Mr. Reinbach has it," Odessa said, briefly darting her eyes towards Viktor.

"Any idea of where to go from here?" Gremio asked as he sat down next to Cleo.

Odessa scanned the dining area. It would be just the four of them once Viktor takes his seat. "Let's eat first. I doubt there'd be any more guests tonight."

Cleo nodded in agreement. "I'm starving, it can wait."

"That sounds like something Pahn would say." Gremio said, to which Cleo looked away.

Viktor took his seat next to Odessa. "So, what's the plan," he asked loudly. Odessa groaned as she buried her face in her hands.

"We... we were going to eat first, Mr. Reinbach." Gremio said.

"Sounds like a plan to me," he laughed.

A server brought them their dinner: one grilled fish, a small bowl of some sort of soup, and one biscuit for each of them. The fish was cold, the soup was watery, and the biscuit was stale. Odessa laughed to herself, no wonder the meals were included in the room fees. Viktor asked for seconds.

She looked around again, nobody was in sight. "We're only resting here for the night. Tomorrow, we head for the old castle on Lake Toran."

"You- you mean the one that's haunted?" Gremio asked.

"Yes, that castle." A spoon dropped as Odessa answered.

"Are the four of us going to claim that castle, Lady Annette?" Cleo asked.

"I never intended for the Liberation Army to take that castle so soon, but we need something that we can defend; I don't want this to happen again. Never again." Odessa balled her hands into fists, creaking her gloves. "But first, we need someone who can take us out there. In the morning, we'll head for Kaku. With any luck, we can-" she noticed Cleo staring out a window. "Is something wrong, Maria?"

"I think I saw Imperials."

"What!?" Viktor yelled. "Did they find us already?" Odessa leapt up from her seat, nearly knocking over her chair, and looked out another window.

"It doesn't look like they're searching for anything. I don't think they're here for us." Cleo said.

Odessa spotted the group of five soldiers walking towards the stairs leading to the hilltop terrace. "Oh no..." Odessa whispered to herself before hurrying for the door.

"Hey! Od- Annette!" Viktor yelled after her.

"No time to explain!" Odessa said before running outside. She thought she heard Viktor curse as she shut the door behind her. She rushed for the stairs and scaled them, stopping just as she could see over the top. There were five soldiers loosely lined up in front of three children and a man probably a few years older than herself.

She could see his red ascot first- that thing always drew attention to him- and then his light brown jacket and dark pants. His square face was accented by swept-back brown hair that was a darker, duller shade than her own.

Two of the soldiers suddenly grabbed one of the boys by the arms and started to drag him back towards the rest of the line. "What are you doing?" The man cried, "What do you plan to do with that child?"

"Mathiu Silverberg, you are hereby ordered to return to duty in the Imperial Army," The soldier directly in front of Mathiu said. "There's no reason why a fine doctor like you should be wasting your talent in this pathetic village. Why, you're a hero of the Battle of Kalekka!"

"I refuse! I've had it with war." Mathiu said firmly. "I'm nothing but a poor recluse these days."

"We have been ordered by Lord Kasim Hazil to bring you with us by force, if necessary."

"I have no intention of returning to Imperial Service."

"Really?" the soldier asked, as though he had expected this. "If you choose to be stubborn, I don't know what will happen to this boy. Perhaps we'll send him to the Banaar Mines. Pretty hard labor there, I don't know if the kid will survive..."

The boy struggled to escape. "No! No! Help me, doc!"

"Let- let him go. Right now." Mathiu demanded, trying to stay level-headed.

"Maybe we will, if you agree to come with us."

The boy broke free and ran behind Mathiu before anyone could react.

"You little- Capture them all!"

"Yes, sir!"

Odessa had enough, she couldn't watch any longer. She climbed the rest of the stairs before she heard something behind her.

"What's going on?" Gremio asked in a hushed voice.

"Trouble, that's what." Viktor said.

"Hey, did you hear something?" one soldier asked.

"Mathiu! Get inside now!" Odessa yelled. The soldiers turned towards the intruder.

"Who does this woman think she is?" Another soldier asked the soldier with his back to Mathiu, their captain, Odessa figured.

"Trouble again, Lady Annette?" Cleo stopped at Odessa's right, her hand hovering at her hip. "It won't be easy serving you." Cleo said in exasperation.

"Come on, Maria. I know you're about to enjoy yourself." Gremio said as he stopped at Odessa's left, though she couldn't see him.

The captain balked for a moment. "Who are you guys?"

"Survivors of the Liberation Army." Odessa said as she pulled her hood down, letting her down.

"'Survivors?' I guess the officers were spot-on calling you 'vermin.' Capture them."

That was all Odessa needed to hear. She rose her left hand quickly, a blast of air sent him crashing into a wall; he went limp after the impact. A knife flew across the terrace, caught by a soldier's neck just above the top edge of his chest plate. The soldier grasped at it before he collapsed. Viktor charged forward from her left, running another soldier through with his sword.

Gremio swung his axe, breaking his opponent's spear before pulling back and swinging again into the soldier's side. A flame lept from Cleo's hand, burning the last soldier's spear and heating his chest plate as a second knife flew and pierced the plate. Viktor took the chance to stab the captain to make sure he was dead. Odessa looked around for more soldiers, but only found the children huddled behind Mathiu, his jacket stained with some stray blood.

"Oh my god..." he looked around at the slaughter in front of him, eyes wide. "All this killing... in front of children." He quietly said something, and the children then ran across the terrace back to the village while Mathiu himself entered the house. Odessa felt guilty as she watched the children pass by her. She can only imagine how scared they were- still are. "Wait for me at the inn, I want to talk with my brother alone," she said to her entourage.

"What if more Imperials come?" Germio asked.

"I won't be long."

Gremio and Cleo started back down the stairs without another word, Viktor hesitated before following. Odessa sighed before entering the house, stepping into the dirt vestibule. She saw her brother's back to her, he was cleaning the blood off of his jacket over a wash basin.

"Mathiu," Odessa said. No response. She climbed the short stairs before calling his name again.

"So it was you, Odessa. I didn't recognize you at first."

"Are you all right?"

He stopped scrubbing at his jacket. "Why did you come back? I thought you wanted nothing to do with a coward."

"I'm here by coincidence. But then I saw those Imperials and-"

"And now more Imperials will come when those five turn up missing."

"Those men were about to capture you. And those children!"

Mathiu returned to scrubbing at the jacket.

"Look at me, Mathiu!"

He kept his back to her. "I want nothing to do with the Liberation Army. Please leave."

"I saw your face after we dealt with the Imperials. You can still see Kalekka, can't you?"

All heard was Mathiu scrubbing the jacket.

Odessa sighed. "Goodbye, Mathiu. I hope the Imperials won't come back. I won't be here to save you again," she said as she turned and descended to the vestibule. She thought she heard Mathiu say something back, but continued out the door and across the terrace, regardless. The village was almost dark, but there was enough light to make her way back to the inn.

"Hey!" Viktor's voice startled Odessa.

"Oh, Mr. Reinbach, what are you-"

"What's wrong with you?" Viktor stepped closer to her. "You run off after the Imperials not once, but twice today!" Viktor's red face bared down on her with an intense glare.

"Viktor, I couldn't just-"

"You couldn't just sit by and let the Imperials attack 'your brother.' Look, I get what you're trying to do, but you can't just run at them like that! Dammit, someone's dead because of you today!"

Odessa bowed her head and looked at the ground. She had nothing to say. What could she say?

"You didn't even have your weapon this time, rune or not. What were you planning to do if they attacked you?" Viktor kicked at a stone on the ground. "You're lucky they didn't have bows! You tell Flik he needs to learn to be a leader, but you've been making huge mistakes the past two days!"

"You're right, Viktor. I shouldn't have run off like that," she raised her head back up, "But this is such a critical time-"

"What happens if you die? We're already scattered, at best, and we'd have no leader!" Viktor cursed under his breath as he stomped off back into the inn. A cold breeze blows Odessa's hair across her shoulder.

Viktor is right. There was little they could do about the hideout being raided, but Tir's blood was on her hands- as is his True Rune. Even at Mt. Tigerwolf, she wanted to rest at that inn where they were served drugged tea. She entered the inn, heading straight for her room, it was a long day, and there was another one ahead of them tomorrow.

* * *

**Author's Commentary:** Now we get to where the fic diverges from the canon. I feel like I said that before. Anyway, I don't have much to say about this chapter except that it was a bit harder to write than I expected it to be, mostly owing to trying to keep everyone in character and feeling my way around action scenes. 

I still feel like this chapter can use more polish, but I have a deadline to keep.


	5. Trouble with Money

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Odessa and her entourage arrive at Kaku to find a boat to reach the castle at Lake Toran. However, a debt finally catches up with Gremio, and only one man in town is willing to take them to the castle.

**Chapter 5 – Trouble with Money**

* * *

The great Lake Toran stretched for miles across the center of the Empire, dotted with several fishing villages and trading towns along its edge. A few rivers from the northeast, the northwest, and the west flowed into that lake, leaving a solitary island near its eastern shore. And from that island, clouds of fog poured out over the lake, flowing outwards for a few miles, leaving only the tops of a few pillars visible from outside.

Odessa and her entourage looked towards the shroud of fog floating on the lake. "I give up, where is it?" Viktor asked, blocking the sun with his hand.

"In that fog, I'm afraid," Odessa said as she adjusted her blue turtleneck. "All we need is a boat."

"Down there. I see a village," Gremio pointed.

"Is that Kaku?" Cleo asked.

"Kaku or not, they've got boats," Viktor said, spying specks of wood on the surface of the lake before Odessa could.

"I don't know how much time we have before the Imperials search the area, we should hurry," Odessa said before hiking down the slope towards the fishing village, ignoring Viktor's protests at her sudden start.

They passed through the village gates and looked around; the village was set up in a series of tiered, rough stone embankments. Stone slabs covered the dirt stairs that descended towards the lake, the bottom tier rising about four inches from the surface of the lake. Five piers were spread across the bottom tier, one of them occupied with a boat unloading its catch.

"The easy part will be getting a boat over to the castle," Odessa started.

"What's the hard part?" Gremio asked.

"Finding someone willing to take us, Roi."

"So, what's the plan?" Viktor asked as Gremio nodded.

"Roi, Mr. Reinbach, you two search the lower levels. Maria and I will search the upper levels. We'll meet at this inn in an hour," she continued, pointing to her left.

"Sounds good," Viktor said as he started walking towards the nearest set of stairs.

"Wait for me," Gremio said under his breath.

Odessa and Cleo swept the upper levels of Kaku, only for most of the townsfolk to laugh or dismiss them as crazy. With only a few minutes until the rendezvous, Odessa decided to head to the inn, more than ready to rest her sore legs. Once inside, they took a seat and waited for the others. Five minutes passed with no sign of Gremio or Viktor.

After fifteen passed, Odessa began to worry. Did the Imperials already catch up to them without their notice? Thirty minutes passed before the door opened. "Sorry we're late, Annette, but we have a lead," Viktor cheered.

Odessa's face lit up. "You do!?"

"Some guy named Tai Ho. All the townsfolk say he's crazy, though," Viktor confirmed as he took a seat.

"Sounds like our man," Cleo deadpanned.

"We heard he's a gambler," Gremio said, closing the door behind him before approaching the table, "but is he really someone we can trust?"

"Everyone we found said we're crazy for wanting to go to the castle," Odessa said. "Unless we can conjure the money to buy a boat, we have to find this Tai Ho."

The inn door flew open and banged against the corner of the door frame. "You! I've got you now, you bum!" Odessa looked past Viktor as he and Gremio turned towards the feminine voice. A young woman with bright red hair and brown eyes has one hand still on the door, another clenched an inch from her waist. She wore shoulder pads over top of her violet leotard. Her furious gaze was firmly planted in Gremio's direction. "Wh-What is it? What have I d-done?" he squeaked.

"What have you done? Ha!" she laughed. "'I'll collect from your grave' is a debt collector's motto, and you'll never outrun Camille the She-Devil!" She stormed over towards Gremio, forcing him to back into the table as she stood an inch from his face.

"What's this all about?" Viktor said softly towards Cleo. "Is she Roi's friend?"

"I... have no idea." Cleo said, dumbfounded.

"'Roi?' You can't fool me," the debt collector barked, glaring at Viktor now, "I heard you call him 'Gremio' earlier." Odessa furrowed her brow and looked at Viktor in disbelief, who only shrugged in response. Camille scoffed before locking eyes with Gremio again. "Come on, gimme that money you owe me," she reaches for the shortsword on her red sash, "right now! In cash! I've been looking for you for a month!"

"Are you in debt?" Cleo asked.

Gremio tilted his head slightly towards Cleo, not daring to take his eyes off of the "she-devil" in front of him."Goodness, of course not," he chuckled.

"Trying to lie your way out of this, eh?" Camille moved her hand towards a pouch just below the sword. "But I've got proof. Take a look at this!" She thrusts a piece of paper into Gremio's chest, nearly pushing him off his feet.

"Hmm... let me see," Gremio began to scan the paper. "Oh, this is the bill for the banquet with Master Teo. I also owe something at the inn-" his face went white, "Y-you want me to pay this right now!?"

"That's right. All of it!"

"Hold up, let me see that," Viktor grabbed the bill from Gremio. Odessa couldn't see Viktor's face, but his shoulders dropped. "L-listen," he said to Camille, "we're in a spot of trouble at the moment, and we're short of cash-" Viktor's posture straightened again. "Wait, young lady, do you know someone by the name Tai Ho?"

"I know him," she said as she turned to face Viktor, scowling.

"Can you tell us where he is?"

"Sure, after you pay up. This is business."

Viktor stayed quiet for a moment. "How about this, then. We have no money right now. But once we find Tai Ho, we might have a way of getting some. As soon as we get some money, we'll pay you back." As Viktor spoke, Odessa exchanged a confused look with Cleo. "

"You're trying to trick me!" Camille's hand drifted back towards her sword.

"Oh no, not at all." Gremio chimed in.

"Damn these penniless bums," she cursed before dropping her hand. "Fine, then. But I'm sticking with you until you pay up."

"So," Viktor said, "where can we find Tai Ho?"

"Follow me," she said as she relaxed her arm. "I know where he is." She marched outside the inn before looking back. "Well? Come on!" Odessa and Cleo stood to follow Camille.

Camille led the entourage down to the piers where another fishing boat was unloading a modest catch. They walked along the edge of the lake until they reached what seemed to be a run-down tavern near the corner of two embankments. "Here's the place. He's usually downstairs, but just follow me and keep quiet."

"What happened to the money we had before, Viktor?" Odessa whispered.

"I, uh... spent a little at a runemaster," he said sheepishly.

"You what!?" Odessa sighed. "Was it anywhere close to the debt?"

"Even if yesterday hadn't happened, we wouldn't have the cash for it," Viktor shook his head.

Camille led them into the dimly-lit tavern. It smelled of cheap alcohol and tea, but there was only a single other patron present. Odessa was almost glad to follow Camille down a stairway, trading for the smell of a musty basement and... some kind of smoke.

A wicker table marked the center of the room, a few chairs carelessly placed around it. On the table was a large bowl with three dice set inside. As Odessa's eyes adjusted to the dim light, she noticed that they read one, two, and three. There were two men around the table, each wearing robes, one in blue with long blond hair, another in a sandy brown, wearing a purple rope headband around his short, brown hair.

"Hey! Tai Ho!" Camille shouted. "These bums want something from you."

Startled by Camille's outburst, Odessa hesitated for a moment. "We need a boat to Toran Castle."

The man with the headband turned his head towards them, revealing a short, pointed beard. "You must be nuts!" he laughed. "That place is full of monsters, I'll be placing my life on the line to take you there." He grabbed a cup in front of him and took a drink. "Tell you what," He smiled as he looked Odessa up and down. "Since I'll be risking my life on this trip, you're going to have to make an equally risky bet: all the money you have." He smirked as he swung himself to sit over the side of the chair. "Are you up to it?"

Odessa looked from Tai Ho towards the bowl with dice. "A bet?"

"Right. On a game of Chinchirorin. Heard of it?"

"I don't gamble," Odessa said. "But I've seen a few men play it before." She looks towards Viktor. "Your money, please," she said as she reached for her own coin-purse. "The rest of you, too." The total came up to 327 bits.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Camille objected.

"It's not enough to pay you, anyway," Viktor said, to which Camille shook her head.

Odessa poured the coins into her purse and tossed it next to the bowl as she took a seat.

"Well, it's settled, then," Tai Ho said. "Care to hear the rules?"

"I know enough that your score is based on a third die if two of them match."

"That's the basic rule, yes; two of anything except one. A four-five-six is a winning number. two ones or a one-two-three is a loss. Three of the same except one is also a win. And You get three tries for a score."

"Lady Annette! Are you really going to bet all our cash on this?" Cleo asked.

"I am. We need this boat," Odessa said, not looking away from the dice.

Tai Ho took another sip of his drink and smirked. "I'll let you go first, 'Lady.'"

Odessa reached into the bowl and grabbed the cream-colored dice. From the color and weight, she guessed they were made of ivory. A little pricey for such a filthy tavern.

"If you're wondering about those dice, they're my lucky set; I win every game with them. Go ahead, use 'em, I don't mind." Tai Ho laughed.

She rattled the dice in her hand, hearing them clatter against each other. She tossed them down into the bowl, the dice clinking as they roll around before coming to rest at the bottom of the bowl. Three-Five-Two, no score.

"Go on," Tai Ho said, "you get three tries, then it's my turn."

She scooped up the dice again, rattled them, and tossed them more gently. Two-Six-One. Her last chance: Two-Two-Three.

"That was close," Gremio sighed.

"Not so fast," Tai Ho said, "my turn." He plucked the dice from the bowl, and weaved one between and around his fingers. "Let's go!" He cast the dice into the bowl, Five-Two-Three. He silently gathered the dice and rolled again: One-Five-Three and a curse. His last roll: Six-Six-Three.

"No way! A draw!" Cleo exclaimed.

"At least we didn't lose," Viktor said.

"Well, in this case, we play another round. Same bet on the table." Tai Ho said. "It's not too late to back out now, if you want."

Odessa felt her heart pounding, her palms were a little sweaty in her gloves. Is this why her men gamble? This rush she's feeling? "I'm not backing out," she said as she grabbed the dice from the bowl. She took a deep breath and let it out as she rolled. Five-Six-Two.

"Damn," Cleo cursed. Five-Three-One. Two-Two-Five. Odessa wiped the sweat off her forehead as Viktor whistled.

Tai Ho frowned slightly and took a big swing from his cup. "Not bad, but I like these odds." He rolled his dice: Six-Four-Three. "Almost," he said as he prepared to roll again. One-Two-Four. "Alright, Tai Ho, do or die." He cast the dice one last time. His eyes went wide as one die bounced out of the bowl and landed on the table across from the blond man: a six. The other dice read four and five.

"Damn." Tai Ho sighed before looking Odessa in the eye. "Well, you're lucky today. I tend to go along with lucky folk," he says as he stands, reaching his hand down to her. She takes his hand, expecting a handshake, but the vigorous and uneven shake could hardly be called one. "Hey, Yam Koo, let's go prepare the boat."

"Sure, Sure," The blond said has he stood up. "Here we go again with Big Brother's madness." Yam Koo shuffled up the stairs.

"Give us a little while and we'll be set to go," Tai Ho said.

"Thank you," Odessa said. Tai Ho only returned a smile as he broke off the handshake and climbed the stairs. She breathed a sigh of relief; her luck hadn't quite run out yet. "Maria, Gremio, wait up above while Mr. Reinbach and I discuss preparations."

"Of course," Gremio said before he and Cleo climbed the stairs themselves, the She-Devil following wordlessly.

"What do you know about the castle, Odessa?"

"I just needed to send them away, I wanted to speak with you in private."

Viktor crossed his arms. "What's this about?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Odessa took a deep breath before speaking. "I think your words yesterday got to me, Viktor," she started, not looking directly at him. "I had a... a- not a nightmare, but," she paused, trying to get her words straight. "Last night, in my dream, I- I think I saw my own death."

Viktor dropped his arms partway, "A vision? Any idea when this happens?"

"Yesterday. It was at the hideout in Lenankamp. I don't think it was the future, but what could've been. It's not unlike... All I can say is that I have this lingering feeling of 'that could have been me.' I could've been dead, and the Liberation Movement would die with me."

"What about Tir? what about me?"

"You got there too late," she put a hand on her stomach, "I was stabbed right here. Just like with Tir, I was beyond help." Odessa sighed. "If I hadn't been so impulsive-"

"Odessa, it was only a bad dream," Viktor interrupted. "Don't worry about the what-ifs, there's nothing that can be done about it." He put a hand on Odessa's shoulder. "Let's go meet the others, we don't want to keep Tai Ho waiting," he said before climbing the stairs himself. Odessa stood and picked up her purse from the table. If their luck could just hold out a little longer...

* * *

**Author's Commentary:** And now we're back to almost matching canon again, but it was still a little tricky to write this one. A big problem I've noticed thus far is that a lot of the characters in Suikoden do not have very fleshed-out personalities, especially the characters who aren't in many major story scenes after this point. On the bright side, I think I've been able to read between the lines enough to get a good idea on what Tai Ho's about. Camille is another story.

Also, good news, I'm not dead! I kinda ended up falling out of the writing habit after some power-related problems around Christmas AND New Year's, but hopefully, a slip THIS bad won't happen again. I'm looking forward to the next chapter, though.


	6. A Haunted House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Odessa and her entourage are ferried to the monster-infested castle on Lake Toran. Once there, they begin to investigate the quiet halls.

Odessa's eyes stung as they adjusted to the evening sun; she guessed they have about two hours of sunlight left. As she began to tolerate the natural light, she could see the sun suspended above a splotch of fog out over the lake. “Lady Annette, Gremio bought us the medicine we need, but we're almost out of cash now,” Cleo informed Odessa.

“That's everything, then.” Some torches, first aid supplies, and a little food, should they need it. “Mr. Reinbach told me that Tai Ho finally secured a boat. They should be at the docks,” Odessa replied, Cleo nodded. As the two walked towards the pier, doubt began to creep into her mind. Perhaps they were in over their heads; the four of them were about to clear out a monster-infested castle, with no backup, and weapons in dire need of maintenance.

Tai Ho was sitting in the boat with his back to the lake while Yam Koo was standing on the pier. Viktor was waiting as well, leaning against an embankment. “We just need to wait for Gremio and we'll be ready,” Cleo said to Viktor, who only tugged at his right glove. Two sets of footsteps descended the stairs nearby. Odessa turned her head to see Gremio and Camille carrying three full sacks between them.

“Camille, you don't have to come with us,” Odessa said.

“I'm not stupid. The moment I let you guys out of sight, you'll make a run for it.”

Odessa didn't respond; if Camille was set on going with them, then why refuse another sword arm? The sacks were lowered into the boat before Yam Koo took his place next to Tai Ho between the oars. Viktor and Gremio sat at the front of the boat, facing the boatmen's backs, Odessa sat at the rear of the boat with Camille and Cleo between her and their guides. Even with the seven of them in the boat, there was still plenty of leg room.

“Alright, it's about an hour of rowing from here, so let's go,” Tai Ho said. On his signal, Yam Koo began to row in tandem with Tai Ho and the boat lightly rocked as it drifted away from the dock. The rhythmic splashes of the oars tearing through the surface of the lake was soothing to Odessa. “Now, I did say I'd take you to the castle,” Tai Ho said “but I didn't say you didn't have to row. To keep it fair, someone will rotate out after every quarter of the trip.” There were a few mutters among the passengers. “If you don't like it, you can find someone else to ferry you over.” The order of rotation was quickly decided.

The cloud of fog over the lake grew as the boatmen rowed in silence. Odessa had intended to take the castle hidden in that fog for the Liberation Movement's purposes for a few weeks, but she, Humphrey and Flik never thought it was worth the trouble, even if they could spare a small band to clear it out. Even if that was accomplished, the process of moving the headquarters past either fortress would've proven difficult, at best. Combine that with several locations being compromised recently and-

“So, 'Lady', what's your story?” Tai Ho asked as Odessa jumped at his voice.

“Oh!” After a moment, Odessa realized what he was asking about. “Sorry, I was lost in thought,” she said. “I, uh, I was attacked by an imperial soldier. He mistook me for a rebel and struck me.”

“I see. But you look familiar,” Tai Ho raised an eyebrow. “Have I seen you before?”

“I don't believe so,” Odessa said, hoping that he hasn't seen too many wanted posters.

“I'm surprised the Imperials confused you with someone else. You would think they'd make sure they had the right woman.”

“The Empire's grown more corrupt, even in the capital,” Cleo said, staring at something in the water. “I was in Rockland when some bandits were strung up to die without a trial. As long as they get paid, they would imprison a lookalike without a second thought.”

“Besides, even if she was involved,” Viktor added, “she's very lucky to have escaped with just a black eye. The Empire's been cracking down on rebel activity, even rumors.

“You'd be right, blondie. I've seen a few smugglers get some goods moved with just a fat purse. I won't lie, business has been good, but it feels a little too easy these days.” Tai Ho replied.

“Wait, 'smugglers?'” Gremio parroted. “What, exactly, do you-”

“I wouldn't finish that question if I were you.” Yam Koo interrupted.

“Anyway, I meant why you're going to Toran Castle. Nothing there but monsters and dirt. Not even good for a storehouse.” Tai Ho said.

“Well, we're on the run from the Imperials, and we would never outrun them once their search gains momentum.” Odessa said.

“And you'd rather take your chances with the monsters than the Imperials, got it,” Tai Ho said.

***

Little light from the setting sun filtered through the fog as one particular pillar stood out among the two dozen others. It was difficult to see, but Odessa spotted a small dock at the base of one of them. “There! I think I see it.”

Yam Koo looked behind him. “That's the one.” The boat turned as Tai Ho slowed down on his side. “Okay, now hold the oar against the water,” Yam Koo instructed. After a moment, the boat came to a stop.

Odessa's entourage and Tai Ho stepped out of the boat and onto the rough walkway at the base of the pillar, stretching from a large gate blocked by a boulder to a smaller hole in the rock on the far side. A short stone block wall surrounded the walkway from both sides, the bottom few layers lightly covered in moss. There was silence around the castle broken by their footsteps.

“This is truly a haunted house.” Cleo said with a shiver.

“Are you sure there's treasure here?” Camille asked to Gremio.

“I don't know, Viktor said there was one,” Gremio replied, glaring at Viktor.

“Wow, what a place,” Tai Ho said in awe. “Must be full of monsters. I'll get 'em!”

“You're going too?” Yam Koo asked. “Please be careful.”

“Of course. I wouldn't miss this for anything.”

“We're grateful for your help, Tai Ho,” Odessa said as he returned to the boat to grab a trident while Gremio and Cleo picked up a two of the sacks in the boat.

“Looks like this way's blocked, we'll have to go in over there,” Viktor pointed towards the hole in the rock.

As Odessa passed the boulder, she caught a whiff of something. She faltered for a second before hurrying back in line. Cleo struck flint off of the rock, igniting a torch before lighting another one held by Gremio. As the hole was illuminated by the torchlight, Odessa could see that it didn't lead to anything resembling a structure; it looked more like a natural cave. As they stepped inside, the smell of dead fish and mold suddenly slapped them all at once.

“Ugh, it reeks,” Camille muttered.

“Probably something living in here,” Viktor said.

“Or died,” Tai Ho offered.

“If it's alive, I hope it's friendly,” Gremio said.

Their voices echoed through the cave along with their footsteps. As they went deeper into the pillar, they began to hear water drops falling from the ceiling, landing on the ground and sometimes on their heads. The drops were few and infrequent at first, but as they advanced, it became almost rhythmic. But then, a _plop_ in the water. And then another. As they entered a large chamber, a pool of water, probably 50 feet at its widest, stretched along their path. Long, oval rocks rose from the surface of the pool.

Camille shrieked as she slipped and fell. She rolled and kicked at something. As Odessa stepped to the side, she saw a pale hand had seized her ankle. Camille drew her sword and slashed wildly at whatever the hand was attached to. She hit something, as the hand released her and drew back as hiss echoed in the cavern. She traded her sword for her spear and thrust it as far as she could reach.

Splashes were heard as the rounded rocks elevated from the water. In the torch light, Odessa realized that they weren't rocks, but some kind of humanoid creature. They stood at roughly five feet tall, with large fish-like bodies of almost five feet in length from tail to face. A set of pale, thin, human-like limbs protruded out from the fish body, wielding bone-tipped spears. Their large, bright, yellow eyes lazed behind a giant beak at their front.

Odessa immediately took aim with her bow and released an arrow into a fishman's face. It hissed and charged for her, but Tai Ho put himself between the two. He held his spear outward as the monster ran itself into it, unable to stop itself in time, the force of the collision sending them both to the ground.

Another wounded monster bat the spear from Camille's hands before raising its own above its head, prepared to impale her. A hatchet struck the fish from below, stunning it as its spear clattered to the ground before another swing landed behind its eyes which fluttered for a second as the monster fell.

Viktor cleaved a fishman in front of him before striking at another to his left. A knife flew through the air and struck a fishman's arm before another one sank itno an eye, eliciting a pained hiss. Another arrow from Odessa pierced its side before it fell over. Camille scrambled off the ground and grabbed her spear just in time to deflect a trident from another monster. Gremio missed its head with his hatchet, but it cut into the trident before Camille thrust her spear into its head just above its beak.

“Damn, there's too many!” Cleo cursed behind Odessa. “Get back!” she yelled as she held her torch out in front of her. After a moment, the red rune on her hand began to glow through her glove, and the flame on her torch spun and swirled before a stream of fire poured from the tip, reaching the whole way to the back of the cavern. She pulled the torch around to her left and then swung it back to her right as a lion tamer would.

Shadows danced and flew across the cavern walls as the whip of fire swung and lashed across and over the water, burning the unfortunate fishmen that could not duck in time. With hisses and cries, they retreated into the water to escape the magic flames. As the water settled and Cleo's magic ceased, all there was to hear was the heavy breathing of the victors and the crackling of scales. The cavern began to smell like burnt fish.

“Are you alright, Lady?” Tai Ho asked as he managed to roll out from under a fishman, his tan robe stained with a blue ichor that would pass for blood.

“I'm fine,” Odessa said, “but good thinking, Maria. I couldn't quite see how many of them there were.” She recovered her arrows from the fishmen's bodies before wiping them off with an extra cloth from one of the sacks.

“Let's keep going, I don't think they'll hide for long,” Cleo replied.

“Th-thanks,” Camille said, “I guess I owe you one.”

“It was nothing, I was just the closest to you,” Gremio said. “How's your leg?”

“It's fine, I can walk it off.”

Tai Ho whistled, “I'm glad I came, though. You don't get to see that every day!”

“And I hope we don't have to.” Cleo said.

With no signs of the fishmen resurfacing, they continued onward. Before they realized it, the pathway began to slope upwards and curve inwards. The path leveled off before long and a brick floor was seen through an opening in the cave wall.

“Hey, Gremio, hand me a torch,” Viktor said. As Gremio handed him the lit torch, Viktor peeked through the opening, holding the torch out in front of him. “Looks clear.”

The cave gave way to a large, if unfurnished, room. It was mostly open, but brick walls divided sections of the room, one wall sported a splintering wooden door frame. As the entourage stepped onto the masonry, they almost gasped for the fresh air that poured in from a cold draft somewhere.

“If this is the castle,” Gremio began, “Then we can roll the boulder away from inside. But where are we?”

“Probably on an upper floor,” Odessa said. “We should move the boulder as soon as possible, now that we know where the threats are.

They swept around the walls until they came across two sets of stairs, one going up, and another going down. Each set had a landing that marked the halfway point of the flight before turning back inwards. Going off of Odessa's guess, they descended the left stairway.

On the lower floor, another large room opened before them, much larger than the one above. A few columns held the rough stone ceiling aloft, and rubble was strewn about over the brick floor, with particularly large piles blocking what seemed to be two large archways. Odessa could feel a draft from both archways.

Another stairway led down, but as Odessa stepped inside, a foul odor made her wince. At first, she couldn't place the smell, but as they descended down, she realized what it was: rotting flesh. It was a lot like a dead cat in an alleyway, but much stronger; Odessa nearly gagged. She wanted to turn back to the fresh air.

“Ah! I see the boulder!” Camille shouted as she sprinted towards blocked gate. “Get over here, you bums, it stinks in here!”

As Odessa herself looked around, it was a wide, spacious cavity in the pillar, but the floor was somewhat smooth, no sign of a stalactite in the ceiling either. After nearly gagging on the foul odor again, she hurried over towards the boulder, if only for the small relief of the outside air trickling in. But then she heard a strange sound from behind, almost like bone grinding against stone.

That's when Odessa turned to face a fearful sight! A dragon was inching its way towards them, dragging chipped claws across the floor. But this dragon's scales was a sickly green color, patches falling off to reveal brown flesh underneath. The fingers on its wings were twisted and bent out of shape, the membrane between them reduced to thin tassels. It glared down at them with pinpoints of blue light from its eye sockets. Its mouth was agape, showing that it was missing several fanged teeth, presumably as yellowed and cracked as those that remained. A blue glow began to well up from the back of its throat!

* * *

 **Author's Commentary** : So I wasn't sure if I wanted to include the battle on this chapter. Once I got to what's the end and did a word count, it was at 2000 or so, so I figured I may as well keep it. On the downside, I have to wait to write the next one. T_T


End file.
